Lorenzo in Catalunya MotoGP pole

Montmeló (Spain) (AFP) – Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo bagged his first pole since 2016 after topping Saturday’s qualifying times for the Catalunya MotoGP.

The Spaniard, a four-time previous winner on the Spanish circuit, clocked a fastest lap time of 1min 38.68sec to grab pole position, his last coming in Valencia in November 2016 when riding for the Yamaha team.

Championship leader Marc Marquez, on a Honda, was second fastest, with Lorenzo’s teammate Andrea Dovozioso, who won at Montmelo last year, third.

Reigning world champion Marquez suffered two crashes on the track and was forced to take part in the first qualifying session to have a chance of competing for pole position in Q2.